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Ten years to the day after his release on 11 February 1990, the Nelson Mandela Museum opened its doors. Nelson Mandela insisted it was not just to be a static collection but a living memorial to his values and vision. It was to inspire and enrich all who visit it, serve as a catalyst for development and should share the heritage and resources linked to him.

The Department of Arts and Culture took his words to heart and pledged funding for the Nelson Mandela Museum as part of its series of national legacy projects that honour South Africa’s liberation heroes.

The Nelson Mandela Museum is more than a place; it is an experience that allows visitors to follow the footprints of a man whose long walk to freedom began in the foothills that rise from the banks of the Mbhashe River. His journey took him back to the village of Qunu where he put down roots and grew tall and strong. The young man listened to and learned from his elders, moved by their stories of battles for their land.

His battle for liberation would be waged a long way from the rural landscape of his birth. It would take him from studying law at the University of Fort Hare in Alice, to the mines in Johannesburg, from the capital cities of the world and back to a prison cell on Robben Island before he emerged from his long imprisonment, unbowed and victorious on a summer day in February 1990.

His gift is a living one, one that embodies his commitment to the principles of human rights, freedom, peace and democracy.

This constantly evolving legacy is housed in the Nelson Mandela Museum, with its two main sites: the Nelson Mandela Youth and Heritage Centre in Qunu, and the Bhunga Building in Mthatha.

The Nelson Mandela Museum offers a memorable cultural experience that gives insights into the life of Nelson Mandela, with guided tours and a heritage that follows his footprints.

Open Monday to Friday from 9h00 to 4h00, Saturdays and public holidays (except Workers’

Day) from 9h00 – 12h00 noon.

We accept after-hour bookings made in advance.

No entrance fee –donations encouraged.

Eastern Cape

NELSON MANDELA MUSEUM,BHUNGA BUILDING, MTHATHA

The Meaning of Mandela strips back the layers of his life to reveal him as a comrade, leader, prisoner, negotiator, and finally, statesman. It shows the human values that underpin the man.

Mandela and Luthuli: In Conversation is an installation that brings the interactions and conversations between the Nobel laureates to life for ordinary people through a compilation of photographs and quotations from writings – all of which give this exhibition vital and inspiring insights.

NELSON MANDELA MUSEUM: YOUTH & HERITAGE CENTRE, QUNU

Making The Legacy is a groundbreaking comic installation that tells the story of Nelson

Mandela. Making The Legacy exhibition is a joint initiative between the Nelson Mandela

Foundation and Department of Education. Also in Qunu is Dear Mr. Mandela...Dear Mrs

Parks: Children’s Letters, Global Lessons, the inspiration for which came from the hundreds of children around the world who wrote letters to Nelson Mandela and the late Rosa Parks, both internationally renowned for their work in human rights.

The Nelson Mandela Museum offers a memorable cultural experience that gives insights into the life of Nelson Mandela, with guided tours and a heritage trail that follow his footsteps.